Method of finishing metals in imitation of faience



" TED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

JOHN HOPSON,JR., OFNEW LONDON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO THE WATERBURYCLOCK COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

METHOD OF FINISHING METALS IN IMITATION OF FAIEN EQI SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 530,342, dated December 4,1894.

pp ca o filed September '7, 1894. Serial No. 522,330. (No specimens.)

' manufacture, faience effects of marked artistic value, in metal.

I particularly design to utilize my invention in the production ofornamental cast-iron clock cases, but obviously, my method may he usedin the production of other ornamental articles. I

With these ends in View, my invention consists in a method havingcertain steps and details as I will be hereinafter described and pointedout in the claims. 1 I

In setting forth my improved method, I shall associate it with theproduction of a clock-case, though, as I have before said, it is notlimited to that class of goods. I

' In carrying out my invention in the production of clock-cases finishedin imitation of faience, I first produce the body of the case, which maybe cast in any approved manner and in a great variety of patterns. WhatI wish to call particular attention to at this point is that I providethe said body with a granular or roughened surface, which may be securedeither in the process of casting it or produced afterward. The bestresults are secured by casting the granulated surface, so to speak, intothe body of the case, but I may cast the body of the case plain, andthen apply some granular substance to it, by means of securing a firmadherence of the substance to the case, or I may secure the granulatedor roughened surface in still other ways, as will appear later on. I I

To make myself clear, I will here explain that I have used the termgranulated to describe that roughened or uneven surface I whichcharacterizes much pottery, and discloses the fact that it wasmade byhand from a plastic material. I do not, therefore, mean temperature of300 Fahrenheit.

to describe, by the use of the term granu lated, asurface necessarily ofuniform roughness, for by preference the granular surface which Ipropose to produce will simulate the uneven surface produced by modelingsoft clay by hand.

Over the granulated surface of the body I preferably apply a preparatorycoating of japan or equivalent material, which is baked on under a hightemperature, say at abouta I do not necessarily employ this preparatorycoating, but I prefer to employ it, because it checks the iron fromrusting and the rust, if any rusting takes place, from striking throughinto 1 the finishing coats. I may secure a granulated or roughenedsurface by stabbing the preparatory coat on to the body of the case.Over the preparatory coating I apply one or more primary coats ofpigment, securing a resulting surface which is by preference light, butmay bedark. Whether it is light or dark will depend on the color orshade of the secondary coat or coats, with which it is designed-tocontrast. Isecure very fine results by employing a white or nearly whiteprimary coat, which will show through the secondlary coat. The primarycoat or coats are preferably baked on separately at a temperature ofabout 220 Fahrenheit. I then apply one or more secondary color coats oflake or other transparent pigment, of a color or shade which willcontrast with the color or shade of the-- primarycoats. The coaction ofthe granulated or roughened surface with these primary and secondarycolor coats produces a very pleasing variegated effect, simulating theplay of color in the glazes of faience. This results from the fact thatthe high points of the granulations take less color than the lowerpoints thereof, so that the colors are thinner in some places than inothers, whereby variation of depth of color is produced. Thus, on thetops of the high points of the granulations the secondary color coatwill be so thin that the primary coat will show through it more than atthe bottoms of the spaces between the granulations, where the secondarycolor coat will gravitate in larger amount, and so mask or conceal theprimary coat to a greater extent, and between the minimum and maximumthicknesses of the two color coats there will be a great Variety ofthickness in the outer coat, so as to produceseveral shades intermediatebetween the lightest and darkest. The granulations, therefore, in thisway give a great deal of life to the finish. The secondary coat is, asaforesaid, a transparent, or substantially trans-- parent coat, and isby preference baked on. I may mention here that the temperatures towhich the case is subjected for baking on the several coats willprogressively decline, for it is desirable that the baking of subsequentcoats shall not disturb the preceding coats. After the secondarycolor'coat is put on the clock case is by preference varnished and bakedagain, and after varnishing, portions of the surface may be gilded. Theresultant surface has the transparency, the play, and the brilliancy ofthe well-known glazes of faience. This is due, as aforesaid, to theemployment of the'granulated groundwork, and also to the use of a lakeor transparent pigment for the secondary coat. Of course a variety ofcontrasting pigments may be used in finishing, and variations of effectmay be r secured.

Thus a clock case for the most part treated in shades of blue might berelieved with panels of white, with pleasing effect.

The pattern of the case and the colors or shades of the pigment chosenmay be infimight add a suitable quantity of varnish to the secondary orfinishing color coat, and still secure a surface of the requiredglossiness.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein described method of finishing metal in imitation of thatkind of pottery known as faience, the said method consisting inproducing a body in the pattern required and with a granulated orroughened surface, then applying one or more primary color coats to thesaid body and then applying one or more secondary color coats of lake ortransparent pigment contrasting in color or shade with the color orshade of the primary coat or coats, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. The herein described method of finishin g metal in imitation of thatkind of pottery known as faience, the said method consisting inproducing a body in the pattern required and with a granulated orroughened surface, then applying one or more primary color coats to thesaid body and baking on the said coat or coats, then applying one ormore secondary color coats of lake or transparent pigment contrasting incolor or shade with the color or shade of the primary coat or coats,then baking on the secondary color coat or coats, and finally applying acoating of varnish over thesecondary coating, and baking on the Varnish,substantially as and for the'purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HOPSON, JR.

Witnesses:

FRED. (J. EARLE, GEO. E. HALL.

